PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — On a Sunday in late September at Citizens Bank Park, one of the happiest places on Earth for Phils fans, became an even happier place for Alvah Brown, 46, and his girlfriend Kim West, 44, of West Oak Lane.
A huge Phillies fan, West was taking in the regular season home finale with Brown and 80 friends and relatives. West thought everyone was there just to celebrate her birthday. Some of them don’t like baseball. But Brown had something more in mind.
🎧 Hear what happened next
In the bottom of the fourth inning, a Phanavision cameraman arrived at their section under the scoreboard porch and crept closer and closer and closer to West’s face.
“I’m like, ‘What is going on?’” she remembers.
People started screaming and taking out their phones. Then Brown slid out of the row and got down on one knee.
“And I was like, ‘WHAT?,’” West says.
And at that moment, wanting to make a memory that lasted a lifetime, Brown asked West to marry him.
The Phillies may have coughed up a late lead and lost that day to the Braves in extra innings, but Brown and West, themselves, were winning — and creating a beautiful milestone.
“Every time we ride past Citizens Bank Park, she’s always going to have a big, great memory of that time,” Brown says.
‘She’s just my good luck charm’
Growing up in West Philadelphia, Brown remembers going to Veterans Stadium with his dad and getting hooked on the hype and the passion of Phillies fans. He got attached to the 1983 Sixers, who won it all that year with Julius Erving and Moses Malone.
Brown soon found himself defending his favorite teams against friends in Washington, D.C., and New York City — earning him the nickname “Mr. Philly.”
West is originally from West Oak Lane and grew up in a family of sports fans, too. She gives particular credit to her father and late grandfather.
So naturally, when Brown and West met through mutual friends, the pair had something very much in common. She called him an ultimate fan. He loved that she was so knowledgeable about sports.
“It’s great when it’s just us here, together, to have someone to talk to about the game. And she knows who’s doing what wrong and who’s doing what right,” he says, adding: “She trashed [former Eagles wide receiver] Nelson Agholor for an entire season.”
Brown and West dated on and off, then split up for a time. But they reunited in May 2017, before the Eagles’ historic and iconic Super Bowl LII run.
“We would win a couple of games. And then more and more games would come up,” West says. “And then, I think, [Packers quarterback] Aaron Rodgers had gotten injured, and [Alvah] was like, ‘I think this is our season. This is our season.’ So things were aligning.”
It was clear they were meant to be — the couple and the Eagles.
“She’s my good luck charm,” Brown says. “I’ve held onto her ever since.”
A sports legacy for the next generation
Brown and West, who are getting married in October, have completely decked out their West Oak Lane basement with photos, paraphernalia, gear and other items celebrating Philadelphia sports. They call it their “Fam Cave.”
To them, their passion for sports is something to share within their family of six, including Alvah III (also known as Tre), 21, Cheyenne, 19, Ava, 11, and Nia, 8.
“That’s the main thing is just doing things together as a family,” Brown says. “With the way things are in the world right now, it’s really important to keep your children and your family close, and this is just something that we all love and have in common. It’s just a great way for us to spend time with each other — sharing the down times, celebrate with the great times, the victories, the wins, things like that.
“Those are memories, things you’ll never forget. Just like I’ve never forgot my dad taking me to my first Phillies game when I was 4. That's something that's just stuck here, and it'll always be there, and I'll always cherish that moment.”
Brown and West are both born-and-raised Philadelphia sports fans, and West says it’s only natural that they would raise their kids the same way.
“They can pass on the tradition for when we’re no longer here,” she says. “It’s all about legacy, and they live in Philly. You gotta be a sports person to live in Philly.”
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After Brown went to such lengths to give her a memorable proposal, West says, she wanted to shine some attention on her fiance, by telling KYW Newsradio about his Philadelphia sports fandom and sharing the story of their family. Their 2017 reunion, their 2022 engagement — major milestones in their lives are tied to monumental moments in Philadelphia sports history.
“I think it’s just showing the stars are aligning for us, greatly, for the rest of our lives. I think we've got a bright future together,” Brown says.
“Sports-wise, I think we're on the right track. Put a stamp on it. I think we're going back to the World Series. I think we’re going back to the Super Bowl,” he adds.
“Yeah, baby!” says West.